Travel Guides

Dahshur

One of the most worthwhile things to see and do in the Cairo
area is take an excursion to Dahshur, a royal necropolis in the
desert, where the oldest true pyramid, the Red Pyramid, can be
found. Some of the burial sites and pyramids date back to the Old
Kingdom of the 4th dynasty and the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid
were built by Sneferu in about 2600 BC. The Bent Pyramid is
so-called because the angle of its sides is not quite straight,
probably the result of an ancient engineering mistake. The Red
Pyramid, made out of red limestone, was built after the Bent
Pyramid and is thought to have been the first true, straight-sided
pyramid in Egypt. The famous Pyramids of Giza were modelled on this
design. You can usually climb into the Red Pyramid and descend down
a tunnelled ramp into its three interior chambers which is a rare
privilege. There are other tombs of interest scattered around the
area and you can't walk far without stumbling on some wondrous
ancient ruin.

Dahshur is about 20 miles (32km) from Cairo and makes for a
fascinating excursion from the city. The drive takes under an hour
and follows a scenic route which passes through date orchards.
Dahshur is far less crowded than most other big tourist attractions
and visitors experience far less of the hassle from locals and
touts that they do at Giza. At this site you can still get the
thrill of an explorer discovering something mysterious and
ancient.

However, the empty nature of this famous archaeological site is
partly due to occasional sectarian violence in the nearby town of
Dahshur, so travellers are advised to check out travel alerts to
gauge how safe it is before they visit.